Bleach Drabble (256-263)
Round one of the gift-fic request thread is DONE! *tired* I'm sorry they're so...EARLY but um... I figure I won't have time in the next few weeks because of papers/projects/finals, so I did it this weekend when I had time. Also, Ann and Greg, I did the Bleach requests first because they're generally easier for me, but yours are coming, I swear! ^^;;
Um, also...sorry if these don't make any sense. I need more sleep. -_-;;
256.
Title: Ninja Philosophy
Rating: PG
Pairing/Character/s: Kenpachi, Yachiru
Word Count: 610
Warning/s: Spoilers for the Kenpachi/Ichigo fight in the SS arc?
Summary: Kenpachi hates pansy ninjas.
Dedication: Ivan- for his Holiday gift-fic request.
A/N: Alright, so Ivan’s request was a mid-SS arc fic with Kenpachi and Yachiru regarding the manga Kenpachi reads. I think I sort of fulfilled it? Mostly? I dunno. O.o
“This way next!! Definitely this way, Ken-chan!!!”
He eyes her and thinks that she’s probably wrong again, but sitting on his shoulder looking so certain, he supposes her next guess is as good as any of his might be.
When it turns out to be the third dead-end in a row (the odds for that are TERRIBLE by the way), Kenpachi sighs and decides it’s time to just run the tops of the walls. At least that way, when she tells him to turn the wrong way he’ll have a real argument against her. Theoretically.
“Wah, it’s just like ninjas!” She exclaims as they land at the top of the scaffolding and break into a run.
Kenpachi scowls. “Wouldja quit it with the ninjas already? I shouldn’ta let you read that. Now concentrate, I mean it. We’re tryin’ to find the ryoka, remember?”
She pouts at him and hits him on the shoulder with the flat of her palm, halfway between a hit and a pat. “Ken-chan, are you still mad at Naruto?”
His eye narrows at that. “Che. No.”
She looks at him.
“Just don’t agree with it, ‘s all,” he admits on that look. “Ya don’t need anyone else ta make you stronger, far as I’m concerned. ’s just an excuse ‘cuz they’re all big crybabies, ya ask me.”
He pauses. “And don’t you ever turn out like them, ya hear?” he adds, just because he feels he needs to.
She smiles confidently at him. “I’m already strong!”
He sighs. “Yeah, okay.”
“Na, left, Ken-chan! Left!”
“Er… Yachiru, that leads right into that wall over there, see?”
“I’m sure it’s left!!!”
He sighs. “Yeah, okay.” Turns left.
Many hours later when Zaraki Kenpachi awakens in the fourth division infirmary with Yachiru sitting on the now-bandaged gaping wound in his chest, he blinks and groans and wonders why the hell he’s still alive.
“Yay, Ken-chan is awake!” she breathes, clapping. “Didja have a good nap?”
He blinks some more. “Oi… didn’t I lose?”
She pouts at him. “Of course not! Ken-chan tied! Definitely tied! It was two against one!” she insists, looking very serious for someone who’s sitting on a guy-who’s-supposed-to-be-dead’s injured chest.
“But I…”
“You didn’t lose!”
Her knee digs into his wound and his eye jostles open a little wider at that, forcing him to look at just how adamant she is about the whole thing.
He sighs and after a moment, relaxes back into his pillow. “Yeah. Okay. A tie.”
She nods. “Yup.”
A little while later, after he’s convinced her that it would have totally been his victory if Ichigo hadn’t called out Zangetsu and she’s content enough with his words regarding that to fall asleep on his stomach, he frowns and watches her as she slumbers, absolute in her belief that he’s the strongest guy in the universe.
Well…good.
She should.
He sighs and thinks that maybe he should follow his vice-captain’s prodding and pick up Naruto again. One of these days.
Because… maybe he stopped a little too early into the story after all.
Maybe.
He decides he’ll give it another shot. See if those wimpy ninjas got any stronger since he last read.
“Che. Stronger for someone else’s sake. What a load of bull.”
Yachiru, curled up like a cat on his belly, jabs her elbow into his ribs in her sleep.
He grunts and closes his eye. “Yeah. Okay.”
He falls asleep soon after, thinking about pansy, emo ninjas and what it means to be strong.
Though his last, rebellious thoughts as he drifts off are that One Piece could really kick the shit out of Naruto if it wanted to.
END
257.
Title: Sea Breeze
Rating: G
Pairing/Character/s: IchixRuki (ish)
Word Count: 527
Warning/s: No spoilers I can think of. Just some OOC?
Summary: Rukia’s never seen the ocean. Well, not really.
Dedication: Jen- She requested IchixRuki at the beach.
A/N: So the theme is beach and seashells for this gift fic. ^^;; Hope I got it alright?
When she tells him she’s never seen the ocean, he frowns at her and says, “Yeah you have.”
She scowls and tells him she’s never seen the real ocean, and that picture from their textbook today doesn’t count because it was an artificially reproduced facsimile of the real thing.
He rolls his eyes and tells her the picture probably looks better than the real thing. She finds herself a little disappointed when he seems to want to leave it at that.
It isn’t until several days later that he thrusts a strange, spiraling, calcified monstrosity at her and mutters at her to put it to her ear.
She frowns at him and turns it around in her hands, because she’s never seen something quite so strange and-not exactly wonderful but-- fascinating.
“What is it?”
He scowls. “It’s a seashell. You saw one of these too, remember?” he asks, looking embarrassed.
She turns it around some more. “But the one in the book was so…flat. You can’t honestly expect me to automatically know they’re the same thing.”
Flustered, he shoves his hands into his pockets and looks away from her. “Just… put it to your ear, would you?”
She looks at him suspiciously for a moment before mentally shrugging and doing as she’s told.
After a moment, she pulls back, eyes widening slightly and looking at the shell in her hands with two parts wonderment and one part bewilderment. “What is that?”
“Er…the ocean. Sort of,” he offers, giving her that “you really don’t know anything, do you?” look of his and trying to find words that will explain this strange phenomenon to her. “The custom is, you put one of those to your ear and you listen and you can hear the ocean.”
She blinks. “Really?”
He shrugs one shoulder noncommittally. “Yeah, pretty much.”
She puts the giant shell to her ear again. Laughs in a sort of fascinated delight. “That’s what it sounds like?”
“Yeah. A little louder though. I think. It’s been a while you know, since I’ve been there.” The last time was with his mother and everyone when he was little. They found that shell together, but he supposes she doesn’t need to know that.
She eyes him when he grows silent. “Is the ocean very far away?”
He clears his throat. “A little. We could go, if you wanted. Next break we get off. It’s a ways away, but the train’ll take us. I just…” he gestures with his chin to the conch, “I thought you’d like to try that for now. You know, since we can’t go right away.”
She smiles and holds the shell back up to her ear. “Can I keep this until we go?”
He blinks, because he thinks it’s a weird request, but she looks so absolutely thrilled with the shell pressed up against the side of her face that he supposes there’s no harm done.
Watching her get this excited about something so simple, he can’t help but wonder what her reaction will be when he takes her to see the real thing.
He catches her eyes and discovers that he looks forward to it.
END
258.
Title: Don’t Fear the Dark
Rating: PG-13 for innuendo
Pairing/Character/s: ChadxIshida
Word Count: 288
Warning/s: No spoilers, but weird vagueness in regards to a possibly kinky thing on my part?
Summary: Chad wants to leave the lights on.
Dedication: Christine’s request fic.
A/N: So Christine requested ChadxIshida and Zombies? Riiiiight. Let’s see how the heck I pull this one off. O.o Does this even make sense? Probably not.
Ishida tries to hide his incredulity when Chad asks if they can keep the lights on tonight, and after a moment of the two of them looking at each other in silence from across the room, the Quincy finds himself adjusting his glasses and sitting on the bed as he says, very plainly, “I told you it wasn’t a good idea to play that video game with Kurosaki.”
Chad doesn’t react very much towards most things, but once you know what to look for he is very easy to read, and Ishida sees a telltale drop of sweat that makes its way down one side of Yasutora’s face a moment later.
“He…didn’t want to play alone?” the taller boy remarks after a moment of heavy quiet.
Ishida sighs. “Honestly, Sado, we’re too old to be afraid of zombies by now, don’t you think?” he begins reasonably, thinking that maybe downplaying the whole thing will ease his companion into bed quicker than a lengthy explanation as to why someone of Sado’s height, build, and--most importantly-- abilities should have nothing to fear from the stumbling, moaning undead.
Chad blinks. “Zombies?”
Ishida blinks back. “Wasn’t that why you wanted to leave the lights on?”
Chad doesn’t react very much to most things, but once you know what to look for it turns out he’s rather easy to read.
So when his cheeks turn very slightly pink under that tan complexion, Ishida feels an answering blush blossom on his own face as realization slowly but surely dawns in the Quincy.
His throat works, and after a moment of searching, he manages a small, “Oh.”
Well. That’s new.
“I… well. I um… suppose we could leave them on this time.”
Chad smiles.
END
259.
Title: Body and Soul
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/Character/s: ShuuxYumi, Ikkaku
Word Count: 832
Warning/s: Spoilers for ch 195
Summary: Who is that beautiful woman waiting for Yumichika?
Dedication: Jen- she gave me options on her request post, and thus, I did them both. ^^;;
A/N: The request was ShuuxYumi with real world or gigai as the theme. I had some fun. XD
Even though he’s made fast friends with many of the girls in their class, none of the boys feel particularly threatened by Ayasekawa-san.
There is just something about him that makes them think that they have no reason to fear for their women.
They’re actually mostly, more afraid for themselves in that respect.
So one day, when there is a tall, impossibly gorgeous dark-haired woman waiting outside the gate and asking passing students if they could fetch Ayasekawa for her, everyone thinks it has to be his big sister. Or a cousin, or something.
Ikkaku however, knows better, because he’s the one standing beside Yumichika when they simultaneously feel a ping of familiar reiatsu. Yumi lets out a squeal of surprised delight and is gone from the bald death god’s sight in the flash of an eye, and muttering to himself that this can’t go well if he knows those two idiots like he thinks he does, Madarame ambles over to a window overlooking the yard and prepares to watch the show.
A few moments later and there’s a small crowd gathered around him, curious students who saw and heard of the gorgeous older woman waiting outside and had to have their suspicions confirmed.
“Na, Ikkaku-san… is that Ayasekawa-san’s older sister?” one girl poses shyly, peeping over the window sill as they watch Yumichika jog across the yard, waving happily at his visitor.
Ikkaku rolls his eyes because Yumi probably KNOWS the entire school is watching. What an attention whore. “Nope, ain’t his sister,” he answers after a moment, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
It’s a bit of an odd sight, but the entire class watches in wide-eyed disbelief as Yumichika launches himself into the woman’s arms and proceeds to kiss her rather…enthusiastically.
Ikkaku snorts and thinks that everyone’s going to want an explanation from him now. He sneaks off while they’re still gaping.
Meanwhile, down beside the front gate, Yumi laughs breathlessly and touches his forehead to Shuuhei’s. “I didn’t expect you!” he exclaims, tracing his lover’s cheek with one hand.
Shuuhei grins back, because even though they’ve been apart for a while now, the familiarity of this will never change. He hopes it won’t. Won’t let it, if he can help it.
“Yeah well… no one was expecting anyone, apparently,” he grumbles, unconsciously pressing into the touch of Ayasekawa’s hand on his face.
Yumi chuckles knowingly. “Last gigai?”
“Very last. Figures a pervert like Urahara would keep a female form as his only spare,” the ninth division shinigami mutters, cheeks turning slightly pink.
“Well, for the record… my entire school thinks you are absolutely gorgeous,” Yumi teases, leaning in for another kiss. “They’re incredibly jealous of me.”
Shuuhei looks torn between amusement and horror. “Yeah well…” whatever he’s about to say is cut off when the other death god captures his lips, and Shuuhei supposes he might as well go with it since can’t speak very well with another tongue in his mouth anyway.
When they pull apart, they’re both breathless and tense in just the right ways, Shuuhei closing his eyes luxuriously and leaning forward to kiss behind Yumichika’s ear.
“How long are you staying?” Yumi murmurs, arms tightening around the back of his lover’s neck.
“Took some of my vacation time, so a few days,” Shuuhei responds. “You be in trouble if you skip some class?”
Yumi sighs delightedly. “Nope.”
The other death god grins. “Sweet.”
Taking his lover’s hand, Shuuhei begins tugging him off of school grounds.
Bemused, Yumi allows himself to be led, not able to help it when he cracks, “Well. This should be interesting.”
Shuuhei rolls his eyes. “Easy there, pervert. This is only a rental, you know.”
Yumichika’s eyebrows jump slightly. “That so?”
“Well it’s not like appropriations is gonna pay for what I do on my vacation. And Urahara’s not gonna give me my deposit back for used goods, I don’t think.” Shuuhei digs into one of his pockets with his free hand and tosses Yumichika a familiar looking Soul Candy dispenser. “I came prepared.”
Yumichika catches it and can’t help but feel a little bit relieved.
Eyeing Shuuhei’s current, voluptuous form, he can’t help but think that in all honestly, he wouldn’t have known where to start on that.
However, when he returns to school a few days later, the rest of his classmates don’t believe that to be the case.
Yumichika is greeted as a hero to the boys and a heartthrob to the girls when he arrives to homeroom the following Monday morning. He receives hearty pats on the back from the male students as they laugh and apologize for ever doubting him, and does that older neesan have a cute sister or roommate, maybe?
Yumi revels in the attention and makes no move to say anything, yay or nay, as to the beautiful woman’s identity.
In the meantime, Ikkaku, Renji, Matsumoto, and Hitsugaya can only hope that Shuuhei will better prepare for his next off-duty visit.
END
260.
Title: A Gift For You
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/Character/s: IsshinxRyuuken
Word Count: 462
Warning/s: No spoilers that I can think of. You know, besides who Ryuuken IS.
Summary: Isshin buys Ryuuken a present.
Dedication: laliho- because she won’t make requests and I have to GUESS. :P
A/N: I love my laliho. Yes I do. ^^
“Ryuuuuuu-chin! I have a present for you!!!”
Ryuuken’s eye ticks reflexively and he waits for the inevitable, “…in my pants!” to finish off the exclamation, but when it doesn’t come, he blinks and turns to Isshin, wondering vaguely if he is dreaming.
Isshin grins and takes his hands out from behind his back, presenting Ryuuken with what is indeed, a gift. That is not from inside his pants.
“Merry Christmas!!” Isshin proclaims, looking eager as he holds out a thin, rather sloppily wrapped rectangular box.
Ryuuken looks at it suspiciously for a moment, but is forced to take the present when Isshin starts thrusting it a little more insistently at him on reflex a few seconds later, because he has the patience of a toddler.
The Quincy sets the object in his lap and adjusts his glasses before turning back to the other physician. “Isshin,” he begins very slowly, “Christmas is in December. You’re at least a month off. And we don’t even celebrate Christmas.”
“I know, I know! But I saw it and I bought it and I couldn’t wait to give it to you,” Isshin insists, feet working up and down like an excited child. Or someone about to wet his pants.
Ryuuken sighs. “But we don’t…”
“Open it, open it!!”
“It’s not even…”
“Openitopenitopenitopenitopenitopenitopenit…”
Ryuuken’s eye twitches again but he finds himself sighing and reaching for the bow anyway, if only to save his sanity and to keep from possibly committing a homicide in the next few seconds.
The paper practically falls off of the box then, like the ribbon was the only thing holding it together-it probably was-and Ryuuken finds himself with a plain white box.
He can only imagine what Isshin would have considered the perfect gift, and with a defeated little sigh, he removes the lid.
A shiny silver nameplate greets him then, sitting on a bed of cotton with the light catching it and illuminating the fancy engraving.
Ryuuken stares.
“Well?” Isshin probes, leaning over the other man’s shoulder in eager anticipation. “Well? Well?”
Ryuuken pinches the bridge of his nose and reaches reflexively for the top right drawer of his desk, where he keeps his headache medicine.
Isshin grins and snatches the gift off of his lap. “I’ll go put it on your door!!!” he exclaims happily, bouncing out of the office.
As Ryuuken takes two pills with a big gulp of water, he can hear Isshin scraping around outside, trying to figure out how to get the “Ishida Ryuuken, MD” plate off of the holder and replace it with the shiny new one he bought.
The one that reads “Kurosaki Ryuuken, MD ♥ .”
Ryuuken sighs to himself and sort of wishes that the present had been from Isshin’s pants after all.
END
261.
Title: Parting Gift
Rating: PG
Pairing/Character/s: Eleventh division, Renji (thug love!)
Word Count: 997
Warning/s: Minor spoilers for minor details in the Soul Society arc (thus, not really any spoilers at all).
Summary: Before Renji leaves, his teammates decide to get him the most fitting of presents.
Dedication: lune_etsoleil- here is (one of) your request(s)! I hope it was the one you wanted the most? ^^;;
A/N: So the request was for Zaraki and co. and the wearing of pink. Um. The only thing is, I’m setting it BEFORE the rescue? I know, I know, I suck. I SUCK! But I totally got inspired by that fruity pink-and-white robe thingy Renji was wearing in one of the earlier Soul Society arc eps in the anime when I read your request. I don’t remember which episode it was but c’mon. You know what I’m talking about.
Renji’s scheduled to transfer out of the eleventh to join the sixth as a vice-captain very soon, and Zaraki just can’t respect a guy who wants to work for the owner of the fruitiest bankai out of all bankais to ever bankai in the history of bankai-dom.
The rest of the eleventh is just as appalled, but Renji seems adamant, and so they’ve been scraping together for a little going away present, to let Abarai know that there’re no hard feelings even though he’s obviously copping out and leaving the only respectable division in seireitei.
When Kenpachi discovers what the boys plan on buying, he chips in without hesitation, grinning because it isn’t a half-bad idea considering who came up with it.
Ikkaku wants to take umbrage at that, but he wants Kenpachi’s money more, so he doesn’t say anything.
They send Ayasekawa off to buy the thing a few days later, giving the pretty-boy very specific instructions and trusting that his taste will do the rest to make this goodbye gift perfect.
Ayasekawa doesn’t disappoint them when he returns with a fancy wrapped box with a big pink bow on it, all professionally done and perfect. The fifth-chair beams and presents it to Ikkaku, stating that it was the most fun he’s had shopping with someone else’s money since his first boyfriend.
Ikkaku rolls his eyes but supposes that anything Yumichika says only reinforces the fact that there was no one better to have purchased Renji’s gift.
In true eleventh division fashion, there’s a farewell party for Abarai on the eve of his departure, booze flowing and games of cards, mahjong, and dice everywhere while Yachiru buzzes around excitedly.
Before long, Ikkaku clears his throat and taps his bottle to get everyone quiet. When that doesn’t work he pounds on his chest and threatens that the next guy who talks is gonna be beaten up so bad hell be uglier than Maki Maki.
That gets their attention and everyone falls silent while Aramaki sulks in the corner.
“Oi…as all the rest of you chumps know, today’s the day Abarai wimps out…er, leaves us for other things, greener pastures, richer captains.” He grins as Renji rolls his eyes. “But we’re the eleventh, and we don’t need him, ‘cuz we’ll still be the best damned division around even without him, right?”
Grunts of approval and raised glasses confirm Ikkaku’s response.
Renji snorts, but can’t help but grin a little himself because deep down, he agrees too.
“Anyways, to show we ain’t got no hard feelings, Renji, man, we all got ya a present.”
Renji blinks, not having expected this. “Huh?”
“Ya heard me, man. We…that is, the whole division, pooled some money to get you a really damn fitting goodbye present. Somethin’ you can take to the sixth and remember your old, broke pals by.”
“Aw fellas, ya shouldn’t of…”
“Don’t get all sappy on us and take the damn thing already, wouldja Abarai?” Iba urges from the crowd. Everyone echoes his impatience.
“Alright, alright,” Renji concedes, staggering to his feet and accepting the box. “The hell?” he asks, poking at the bow and eyeing his colleague warily. “Pink?”
“Che. It’s fancy stuff, Abarai. Better get used to it, ya know? The taste of the rich? It’s all like that. Now open it, asshole.”
“Fine, fine,” Renji mutters, yanking unceremoniously on the ribbon.
The rest of the division grows quiet in anticipation, and as the redhead lifts to lid, he discovers--
More pink.
“The… hell?”
Ikkaku grins and slaps his friend on the back. “Fuckin’ expensive threads we got for ya there, but you know, we didn’t want ya going to Moneybags’ division without at least one set of nice clothes!” Madarame guffaws gleefully.
“Oi…”
“This is absolutely the finest material of clothing available, and very fashionable,’ Yumichika intercedes then, proceeding to give the article’s pedigree in painstaking detail and finishing with a, “we hope you can put it to good use, Renji.”
From his seat in the back, Kenpachi finally speaks up. “Yeah. Wear it and think of us, when your giant poof of a captain is bein’ all snooty like the poof he is. Che. You never had it so good as ya did here, Abarai.”
Renji doesn’t know whether to be touched or offended, and settles instead, for staring at his gift. “It’s uh. It’s…”
Yachiru materializes on his shoulder then, looking down eagerly into the box. “Waaaaah, it is pretty!” she agrees. “Shouldn’t you say ‘thanks’ now, Pencil-brows?”
Renji sighs. “Um…well… er, thanks everyone. I just uh…don’t think pink is my uh color. It’s…”
Yachiru jumps off of him and lands atop of Ikkaku’s head, frowning down at the redhead. “What’s wrong with pink?” she asks dangerously, crossing her arms and looking at Renji expectantly.
Renji decides that maybe pink isn’t so bad.
“It’s uh, great, fukutaichou. Thanks everyone.”
He leaves the division with his box the next morning, somehow unable to have any hard feelings when he thinks about it, because that’s how the eleventh is, unapologetic but familial anyway. He wonders if he’s going to miss it, but tells himself that he has personal goals he has to take care of now, and this is the best opportunity he’s had in years.
He arrives at the sixth division headquarters promptly at six and receives his orders from Kuchiki Byakuya himself, the man’s eyes unimpressed as he stares down at the redhead.
Renji finds himself clutching at his box and remembering his ex-captain’s words as he salutes Kuchiki-taichou and heads to his new quarters.
From that day on he endures Kuchiki Byakuya’s demands because he has a long-term goal, but Renji finds that at the times when he’s feeling particularly nostalgic, he dons his gift and takes comfort from the fact that the family he left behind in the eleventh is full of great big, stupidly honest assholes, all of whom he hopes will remember him even in his absence.
He remembers them.
END
262.
Title: Just the Way You Are
Rating: PG-15 (bordering R?)
Pairing/Character/s: GinxKira, mentions of AizenxGin
Word Count: 800
Warning/s: Spoilers for the Soul Society Arc
Summary: flashback fic (sort of?)- Gin and Kira celebrate New Years’ together.
Dedication: antiparallel- I hope somehow, this works. *crosses fingers*
A/N: The request was GinxKira with Gin being nice (?) during the holidays. Here goes nothing. *deep breath*
He likes his cute little Kira-chan just the way he is, because he’s sweet and blushes nicely and lets Gin do all manner of dirty little things to him without even the smallest complaint.
And so Ichimaru doesn’t want to take Aizen’s advice on this matter, not really. He doesn’t want to break Izuru down and rebuild him in all the ways Aizen thinks is best, doesn’t want to do the same to his cute little Kira-chan that Aizen did to him, once upon a time.
So when his former captain suggests something, some method to perhaps, further push Izuru irreversibly into his grasp, Gin smiles and thrusts back against Aizen’s hips and asks very nicely, if taichou can’t pay more attention to him right now.
Aizen can probably see right through him, but the older man always just smiles and does as Gin asks, pushing forward and murmuring, “Go your own way then, Gin,” in his former vice-captain’s ear as he does.
And Gin thinks he will, because he likes his cute little Kira-chan just the way he is now, all smiles and stammers and cute blushes, dressed in his New Year’s clothes and looking at Ichimaru from over the brim of his teacup, eyes full of nervous, hopeful anticipation as they eat their fish and rice together, a quiet celebration in the third division captain’s office for just the two of them.
And Ichimaru just doesn’t think he needs all of that fanfare with the young man before him, doesn’t need to make any extra efforts so that he can break Kira down and rebuild him the way he wants. He doesn’t need to try and make it impossible for Izuru to live without him.
It’s something that just comes naturally to his cute little Kira-chan.
And so they sit on the floor eating together while the blonde looks at him with those worshipful eyes, somehow demure, somehow excited, somehow still young and sweet and hopeful even after all the dirty things Izuru has let his captain do to him.
Gin thinks that everything is perfect just as it is.
And so, as they finish their meals and Ichimaru feels one hunger being slowly exchanged for another, he sets his teacup down and resting his head in his palm, looks at Izuru intently from across the low table.
The sudden focus of his captain’s attention nearly makes Kira drop his chopsticks, and as he recovers them, his face flushes deliciously pink. He looks down at the table and the single grain of rice that fell on top of it when he fumbled just now. “Ah…taichou… sorry, I…”
Gin reaches out and plucks the bowl from his subordinate’s hands. “Full?” he asks pleasantly, setting the dishes down.
“Ah…yes sir,” Izuru murmurs quietly, voice hushed and sweet.
It’s so cute that Gin almost wants to toss the whole table aside and get right down to the next part of their celebration.
But it’s a new year starting today and it might be bad luck to cause such a mess, especially after all the cleaning that had to be done in here days before. So Gin merely relaxes back, resting one elbow on his knee as he watches Kira fiddle shyly with the hem of one long sleeve, looking sheepish and excited and ashamed for being both at the same time.
Gin licks his lips and asks very gently, “Na Kira… can you take your clothes off now?”
At the request, Kira turns pink around his cheeks and on the bridge of his nose, at the tips of his ears and-though Ichimaru can’t see it-on the back of his neck.
It’s absolutely lovely, and when Kira turns his eyes downward, shyly murmuring, “Alright,” before he lets the cloth slip teasingly off of one white shoulder, Gin ends up kicking the table aside anyway.
Ichimaru likes his cute little Kira-chan just the way he is. He absolutely loves how Izuru still manages to be sweet and shy like this, blushing nicely even with his legs in the air and his clothes half off of him and ruined now, breathless and sensitive to every touch, every dirty little thing his captain is doing to him.
And so Gin thinks that maybe Aizen-taichou is wrong about this and that he doesn’t need to make the extra effort to break his cute vice-captain apart and rebuild him how he wants, because Kira is perfect just like this, dizzy with bewildered pleasure and softly crying, “taichou, taichou,” into his captain’s ear.
Gin bites down on that pale, perfect throat and knows that he doesn’t need to do anything more than this to make it impossible for his cute little Kira-chan to live without him.
It’s just something that comes naturally to both of them.
END
263.
Title: Deeper Meaning
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/Character/s: ShuuheixYumichika
Word Count: 909
Warning/s: Vague spoilers for the Soul Society Arc? But not really. WAFF lives here too.
Summary: Shuuhei researches Christmas.
Dedication: k_shi- hope you like this and that it fits your request! ^^
A/N: So for this one the request was ShuuxYumi and gift preparation for Christmas time. I went a little farther than just preparation I think, hope no one minds. ^^
Yumi is fascinated by this thing called Christmas in the human world, because it is full of images of beauty and beautiful sentiments. Knowing him, he just can’t resist something he considers almost on par with himself.
So one day, Shuuhei comes home to find his lover humming strange songs and hanging red bows and little green branches of smelly plants around their home, looking happy and radiant as he perfectly lays out every decoration like a purebred happy-homemaker and not the deceptively deadly shinigami he is. When the confused vice-captain asks what all the fanfare is supposed to be for, Yumi smiles and says simply, “something special.”
Shuuhei has to ask Ikkaku about it later to get an elaboration, and grumbling, the bald shinigami begrudgingly explains the strange custom of Christmas that he learned of in the human world when he and Ayasekawa were on assignment, stating that it’s supposed to have some sort of deep meaning or something in some parts of the world, though all he could really think of when he saw the Japanese rendition of it was “money and pretty things.”
Shuuhei thinks it’s odd to have such a dichotomy in interpretation for this one matter when all humans are essentially the same, and intrigued, he decides to further educate himself on the matter.
He spends a few days in the Research and Technology Institute looking things up regarding the matter while Yumichika bakes gingerbread and experimentally roasts chestnuts.
The day of the holiday grows nearer, and as Shuuhei digs into the tomes of human customs and history available to him at the institute, he finds that while he doesn’t quite get the story behind it all-too many contradictions-he thinks he can maybe grasp the deeper meaning Ikkaku was talking about somewhere in all of the jumble.
And the more he finds himself thinking about that, the more he finds himself thinking about Yumichika and what it means to have the other man in his life, especially after the time of great pain and self-doubt he was forced to endure when Tousen left.
Once the research is done he discovers that he has a day left before Yumichika’s efforts culminate and his “something special” is upon them. Shuuhei takes that time to wander Rukongai a little bit, strolling through the markets and trying to find the Christmas atmosphere he read about inside of him though he knows that here in this land of the dead, the day isn’t supposed to hold any sort of special meaning.
He finds it anyway, in the form of a thin gold band with three small, sparkling diamonds embedded in it. He smiles sheepishly at the vendor when he asks about it and the old man chuckles knowingly as he puts it in a box and wishes Shuuhei the best of luck.
When he comes home that evening Yumichika has prepared a large meal that looks like far too much for just the two of them. Shuuhei kisses him and thanks for him for his hard work. They eat together in comfortable silence though occasionally, Ayasekawa absently hums carols he doesn’t know the words to at the table.
They finish and there are way too many leftovers still in front of them, though Yumi simply says he’ll make lunch for them tomorrow with it and take anything left to his teammates in the eleventh. Shuuhei says that it’s a good idea and does the dishes while the other man dries them, and before long they’re sitting on the couch together in front of a fire Yumichika insisted on building. They sip cocoa and don’t say anything in particular to one another.
Shuuhei still doesn’t get what the story behind this whole holiday is maybe, but he thinks he understands a deeper meaning of his own somewhere in the mess. He finds it sitting there next to Yumichika in comfortable silence, his hip against the other man’s all he needs in the world right now.
Maybe Christmas is supposed to be about redemption and hope and a lot of other grandiose things that someone like him can’t begin to truly comprehend, but for Shuuhei, he feels it’s enough to simply dwell on thoughts of family and friendship and showing the someone who you love that you appreciate having him in your life everyday.
They fall asleep on the couch together like that; Yumi curled up and pleasantly warm against Shuuhei’s side. The little box is still in his pocket, and as he rests his chin atop the other shinigami’s, he smiles and hopes for morning to come faster, just so he can tell his deeper meaning thank you for being here with him.
When they wake up, Yumi smiles and kisses him good morning, wishing him a Merry Christmas. He pads happily to the tree he’s decorated with lots of red and silver glass balls and takes a box out from under it, returning to the couch and his warm spot in Shuuhei’s arms before he pushes it towards his lover. “Here.”
Shuuhei thanks him and opens it. It’s a bright orange scarf, and Yumi beams, stating that he knitted it himself and now they can match.
The other man is bemused and touched simultaneously, despite his not really liking orange on a regular basis. He thinks he’ll wear the scarf with pride anyway.
Feeling warm, he reaches into his pocket and says, “I got you something too.”
END
EDITS PLEASE?
Um, also...sorry if these don't make any sense. I need more sleep. -_-;;
256.
Title: Ninja Philosophy
Rating: PG
Pairing/Character/s: Kenpachi, Yachiru
Word Count: 610
Warning/s: Spoilers for the Kenpachi/Ichigo fight in the SS arc?
Summary: Kenpachi hates pansy ninjas.
Dedication: Ivan- for his Holiday gift-fic request.
A/N: Alright, so Ivan’s request was a mid-SS arc fic with Kenpachi and Yachiru regarding the manga Kenpachi reads. I think I sort of fulfilled it? Mostly? I dunno. O.o
“This way next!! Definitely this way, Ken-chan!!!”
He eyes her and thinks that she’s probably wrong again, but sitting on his shoulder looking so certain, he supposes her next guess is as good as any of his might be.
When it turns out to be the third dead-end in a row (the odds for that are TERRIBLE by the way), Kenpachi sighs and decides it’s time to just run the tops of the walls. At least that way, when she tells him to turn the wrong way he’ll have a real argument against her. Theoretically.
“Wah, it’s just like ninjas!” She exclaims as they land at the top of the scaffolding and break into a run.
Kenpachi scowls. “Wouldja quit it with the ninjas already? I shouldn’ta let you read that. Now concentrate, I mean it. We’re tryin’ to find the ryoka, remember?”
She pouts at him and hits him on the shoulder with the flat of her palm, halfway between a hit and a pat. “Ken-chan, are you still mad at Naruto?”
His eye narrows at that. “Che. No.”
She looks at him.
“Just don’t agree with it, ‘s all,” he admits on that look. “Ya don’t need anyone else ta make you stronger, far as I’m concerned. ’s just an excuse ‘cuz they’re all big crybabies, ya ask me.”
He pauses. “And don’t you ever turn out like them, ya hear?” he adds, just because he feels he needs to.
She smiles confidently at him. “I’m already strong!”
He sighs. “Yeah, okay.”
“Na, left, Ken-chan! Left!”
“Er… Yachiru, that leads right into that wall over there, see?”
“I’m sure it’s left!!!”
He sighs. “Yeah, okay.” Turns left.
Many hours later when Zaraki Kenpachi awakens in the fourth division infirmary with Yachiru sitting on the now-bandaged gaping wound in his chest, he blinks and groans and wonders why the hell he’s still alive.
“Yay, Ken-chan is awake!” she breathes, clapping. “Didja have a good nap?”
He blinks some more. “Oi… didn’t I lose?”
She pouts at him. “Of course not! Ken-chan tied! Definitely tied! It was two against one!” she insists, looking very serious for someone who’s sitting on a guy-who’s-supposed-to-be-dead’s injured chest.
“But I…”
“You didn’t lose!”
Her knee digs into his wound and his eye jostles open a little wider at that, forcing him to look at just how adamant she is about the whole thing.
He sighs and after a moment, relaxes back into his pillow. “Yeah. Okay. A tie.”
She nods. “Yup.”
A little while later, after he’s convinced her that it would have totally been his victory if Ichigo hadn’t called out Zangetsu and she’s content enough with his words regarding that to fall asleep on his stomach, he frowns and watches her as she slumbers, absolute in her belief that he’s the strongest guy in the universe.
Well…good.
She should.
He sighs and thinks that maybe he should follow his vice-captain’s prodding and pick up Naruto again. One of these days.
Because… maybe he stopped a little too early into the story after all.
Maybe.
He decides he’ll give it another shot. See if those wimpy ninjas got any stronger since he last read.
“Che. Stronger for someone else’s sake. What a load of bull.”
Yachiru, curled up like a cat on his belly, jabs her elbow into his ribs in her sleep.
He grunts and closes his eye. “Yeah. Okay.”
He falls asleep soon after, thinking about pansy, emo ninjas and what it means to be strong.
Though his last, rebellious thoughts as he drifts off are that One Piece could really kick the shit out of Naruto if it wanted to.
END
257.
Title: Sea Breeze
Rating: G
Pairing/Character/s: IchixRuki (ish)
Word Count: 527
Warning/s: No spoilers I can think of. Just some OOC?
Summary: Rukia’s never seen the ocean. Well, not really.
Dedication: Jen- She requested IchixRuki at the beach.
A/N: So the theme is beach and seashells for this gift fic. ^^;; Hope I got it alright?
When she tells him she’s never seen the ocean, he frowns at her and says, “Yeah you have.”
She scowls and tells him she’s never seen the real ocean, and that picture from their textbook today doesn’t count because it was an artificially reproduced facsimile of the real thing.
He rolls his eyes and tells her the picture probably looks better than the real thing. She finds herself a little disappointed when he seems to want to leave it at that.
It isn’t until several days later that he thrusts a strange, spiraling, calcified monstrosity at her and mutters at her to put it to her ear.
She frowns at him and turns it around in her hands, because she’s never seen something quite so strange and-not exactly wonderful but-- fascinating.
“What is it?”
He scowls. “It’s a seashell. You saw one of these too, remember?” he asks, looking embarrassed.
She turns it around some more. “But the one in the book was so…flat. You can’t honestly expect me to automatically know they’re the same thing.”
Flustered, he shoves his hands into his pockets and looks away from her. “Just… put it to your ear, would you?”
She looks at him suspiciously for a moment before mentally shrugging and doing as she’s told.
After a moment, she pulls back, eyes widening slightly and looking at the shell in her hands with two parts wonderment and one part bewilderment. “What is that?”
“Er…the ocean. Sort of,” he offers, giving her that “you really don’t know anything, do you?” look of his and trying to find words that will explain this strange phenomenon to her. “The custom is, you put one of those to your ear and you listen and you can hear the ocean.”
She blinks. “Really?”
He shrugs one shoulder noncommittally. “Yeah, pretty much.”
She puts the giant shell to her ear again. Laughs in a sort of fascinated delight. “That’s what it sounds like?”
“Yeah. A little louder though. I think. It’s been a while you know, since I’ve been there.” The last time was with his mother and everyone when he was little. They found that shell together, but he supposes she doesn’t need to know that.
She eyes him when he grows silent. “Is the ocean very far away?”
He clears his throat. “A little. We could go, if you wanted. Next break we get off. It’s a ways away, but the train’ll take us. I just…” he gestures with his chin to the conch, “I thought you’d like to try that for now. You know, since we can’t go right away.”
She smiles and holds the shell back up to her ear. “Can I keep this until we go?”
He blinks, because he thinks it’s a weird request, but she looks so absolutely thrilled with the shell pressed up against the side of her face that he supposes there’s no harm done.
Watching her get this excited about something so simple, he can’t help but wonder what her reaction will be when he takes her to see the real thing.
He catches her eyes and discovers that he looks forward to it.
END
258.
Title: Don’t Fear the Dark
Rating: PG-13 for innuendo
Pairing/Character/s: ChadxIshida
Word Count: 288
Warning/s: No spoilers, but weird vagueness in regards to a possibly kinky thing on my part?
Summary: Chad wants to leave the lights on.
Dedication: Christine’s request fic.
A/N: So Christine requested ChadxIshida and Zombies? Riiiiight. Let’s see how the heck I pull this one off. O.o Does this even make sense? Probably not.
Ishida tries to hide his incredulity when Chad asks if they can keep the lights on tonight, and after a moment of the two of them looking at each other in silence from across the room, the Quincy finds himself adjusting his glasses and sitting on the bed as he says, very plainly, “I told you it wasn’t a good idea to play that video game with Kurosaki.”
Chad doesn’t react very much towards most things, but once you know what to look for he is very easy to read, and Ishida sees a telltale drop of sweat that makes its way down one side of Yasutora’s face a moment later.
“He…didn’t want to play alone?” the taller boy remarks after a moment of heavy quiet.
Ishida sighs. “Honestly, Sado, we’re too old to be afraid of zombies by now, don’t you think?” he begins reasonably, thinking that maybe downplaying the whole thing will ease his companion into bed quicker than a lengthy explanation as to why someone of Sado’s height, build, and--most importantly-- abilities should have nothing to fear from the stumbling, moaning undead.
Chad blinks. “Zombies?”
Ishida blinks back. “Wasn’t that why you wanted to leave the lights on?”
Chad doesn’t react very much to most things, but once you know what to look for it turns out he’s rather easy to read.
So when his cheeks turn very slightly pink under that tan complexion, Ishida feels an answering blush blossom on his own face as realization slowly but surely dawns in the Quincy.
His throat works, and after a moment of searching, he manages a small, “Oh.”
Well. That’s new.
“I… well. I um… suppose we could leave them on this time.”
Chad smiles.
END
259.
Title: Body and Soul
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/Character/s: ShuuxYumi, Ikkaku
Word Count: 832
Warning/s: Spoilers for ch 195
Summary: Who is that beautiful woman waiting for Yumichika?
Dedication: Jen- she gave me options on her request post, and thus, I did them both. ^^;;
A/N: The request was ShuuxYumi with real world or gigai as the theme. I had some fun. XD
Even though he’s made fast friends with many of the girls in their class, none of the boys feel particularly threatened by Ayasekawa-san.
There is just something about him that makes them think that they have no reason to fear for their women.
They’re actually mostly, more afraid for themselves in that respect.
So one day, when there is a tall, impossibly gorgeous dark-haired woman waiting outside the gate and asking passing students if they could fetch Ayasekawa for her, everyone thinks it has to be his big sister. Or a cousin, or something.
Ikkaku however, knows better, because he’s the one standing beside Yumichika when they simultaneously feel a ping of familiar reiatsu. Yumi lets out a squeal of surprised delight and is gone from the bald death god’s sight in the flash of an eye, and muttering to himself that this can’t go well if he knows those two idiots like he thinks he does, Madarame ambles over to a window overlooking the yard and prepares to watch the show.
A few moments later and there’s a small crowd gathered around him, curious students who saw and heard of the gorgeous older woman waiting outside and had to have their suspicions confirmed.
“Na, Ikkaku-san… is that Ayasekawa-san’s older sister?” one girl poses shyly, peeping over the window sill as they watch Yumichika jog across the yard, waving happily at his visitor.
Ikkaku rolls his eyes because Yumi probably KNOWS the entire school is watching. What an attention whore. “Nope, ain’t his sister,” he answers after a moment, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
It’s a bit of an odd sight, but the entire class watches in wide-eyed disbelief as Yumichika launches himself into the woman’s arms and proceeds to kiss her rather…enthusiastically.
Ikkaku snorts and thinks that everyone’s going to want an explanation from him now. He sneaks off while they’re still gaping.
Meanwhile, down beside the front gate, Yumi laughs breathlessly and touches his forehead to Shuuhei’s. “I didn’t expect you!” he exclaims, tracing his lover’s cheek with one hand.
Shuuhei grins back, because even though they’ve been apart for a while now, the familiarity of this will never change. He hopes it won’t. Won’t let it, if he can help it.
“Yeah well… no one was expecting anyone, apparently,” he grumbles, unconsciously pressing into the touch of Ayasekawa’s hand on his face.
Yumi chuckles knowingly. “Last gigai?”
“Very last. Figures a pervert like Urahara would keep a female form as his only spare,” the ninth division shinigami mutters, cheeks turning slightly pink.
“Well, for the record… my entire school thinks you are absolutely gorgeous,” Yumi teases, leaning in for another kiss. “They’re incredibly jealous of me.”
Shuuhei looks torn between amusement and horror. “Yeah well…” whatever he’s about to say is cut off when the other death god captures his lips, and Shuuhei supposes he might as well go with it since can’t speak very well with another tongue in his mouth anyway.
When they pull apart, they’re both breathless and tense in just the right ways, Shuuhei closing his eyes luxuriously and leaning forward to kiss behind Yumichika’s ear.
“How long are you staying?” Yumi murmurs, arms tightening around the back of his lover’s neck.
“Took some of my vacation time, so a few days,” Shuuhei responds. “You be in trouble if you skip some class?”
Yumi sighs delightedly. “Nope.”
The other death god grins. “Sweet.”
Taking his lover’s hand, Shuuhei begins tugging him off of school grounds.
Bemused, Yumi allows himself to be led, not able to help it when he cracks, “Well. This should be interesting.”
Shuuhei rolls his eyes. “Easy there, pervert. This is only a rental, you know.”
Yumichika’s eyebrows jump slightly. “That so?”
“Well it’s not like appropriations is gonna pay for what I do on my vacation. And Urahara’s not gonna give me my deposit back for used goods, I don’t think.” Shuuhei digs into one of his pockets with his free hand and tosses Yumichika a familiar looking Soul Candy dispenser. “I came prepared.”
Yumichika catches it and can’t help but feel a little bit relieved.
Eyeing Shuuhei’s current, voluptuous form, he can’t help but think that in all honestly, he wouldn’t have known where to start on that.
However, when he returns to school a few days later, the rest of his classmates don’t believe that to be the case.
Yumichika is greeted as a hero to the boys and a heartthrob to the girls when he arrives to homeroom the following Monday morning. He receives hearty pats on the back from the male students as they laugh and apologize for ever doubting him, and does that older neesan have a cute sister or roommate, maybe?
Yumi revels in the attention and makes no move to say anything, yay or nay, as to the beautiful woman’s identity.
In the meantime, Ikkaku, Renji, Matsumoto, and Hitsugaya can only hope that Shuuhei will better prepare for his next off-duty visit.
END
260.
Title: A Gift For You
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/Character/s: IsshinxRyuuken
Word Count: 462
Warning/s: No spoilers that I can think of. You know, besides who Ryuuken IS.
Summary: Isshin buys Ryuuken a present.
Dedication: laliho- because she won’t make requests and I have to GUESS. :P
A/N: I love my laliho. Yes I do. ^^
“Ryuuuuuu-chin! I have a present for you!!!”
Ryuuken’s eye ticks reflexively and he waits for the inevitable, “…in my pants!” to finish off the exclamation, but when it doesn’t come, he blinks and turns to Isshin, wondering vaguely if he is dreaming.
Isshin grins and takes his hands out from behind his back, presenting Ryuuken with what is indeed, a gift. That is not from inside his pants.
“Merry Christmas!!” Isshin proclaims, looking eager as he holds out a thin, rather sloppily wrapped rectangular box.
Ryuuken looks at it suspiciously for a moment, but is forced to take the present when Isshin starts thrusting it a little more insistently at him on reflex a few seconds later, because he has the patience of a toddler.
The Quincy sets the object in his lap and adjusts his glasses before turning back to the other physician. “Isshin,” he begins very slowly, “Christmas is in December. You’re at least a month off. And we don’t even celebrate Christmas.”
“I know, I know! But I saw it and I bought it and I couldn’t wait to give it to you,” Isshin insists, feet working up and down like an excited child. Or someone about to wet his pants.
Ryuuken sighs. “But we don’t…”
“Open it, open it!!”
“It’s not even…”
“Openitopenitopenitopenitopenitopenitopenit…”
Ryuuken’s eye twitches again but he finds himself sighing and reaching for the bow anyway, if only to save his sanity and to keep from possibly committing a homicide in the next few seconds.
The paper practically falls off of the box then, like the ribbon was the only thing holding it together-it probably was-and Ryuuken finds himself with a plain white box.
He can only imagine what Isshin would have considered the perfect gift, and with a defeated little sigh, he removes the lid.
A shiny silver nameplate greets him then, sitting on a bed of cotton with the light catching it and illuminating the fancy engraving.
Ryuuken stares.
“Well?” Isshin probes, leaning over the other man’s shoulder in eager anticipation. “Well? Well?”
Ryuuken pinches the bridge of his nose and reaches reflexively for the top right drawer of his desk, where he keeps his headache medicine.
Isshin grins and snatches the gift off of his lap. “I’ll go put it on your door!!!” he exclaims happily, bouncing out of the office.
As Ryuuken takes two pills with a big gulp of water, he can hear Isshin scraping around outside, trying to figure out how to get the “Ishida Ryuuken, MD” plate off of the holder and replace it with the shiny new one he bought.
The one that reads “Kurosaki Ryuuken, MD ♥ .”
Ryuuken sighs to himself and sort of wishes that the present had been from Isshin’s pants after all.
END
261.
Title: Parting Gift
Rating: PG
Pairing/Character/s: Eleventh division, Renji (thug love!)
Word Count: 997
Warning/s: Minor spoilers for minor details in the Soul Society arc (thus, not really any spoilers at all).
Summary: Before Renji leaves, his teammates decide to get him the most fitting of presents.
Dedication: lune_etsoleil- here is (one of) your request(s)! I hope it was the one you wanted the most? ^^;;
A/N: So the request was for Zaraki and co. and the wearing of pink. Um. The only thing is, I’m setting it BEFORE the rescue? I know, I know, I suck. I SUCK! But I totally got inspired by that fruity pink-and-white robe thingy Renji was wearing in one of the earlier Soul Society arc eps in the anime when I read your request. I don’t remember which episode it was but c’mon. You know what I’m talking about.
Renji’s scheduled to transfer out of the eleventh to join the sixth as a vice-captain very soon, and Zaraki just can’t respect a guy who wants to work for the owner of the fruitiest bankai out of all bankais to ever bankai in the history of bankai-dom.
The rest of the eleventh is just as appalled, but Renji seems adamant, and so they’ve been scraping together for a little going away present, to let Abarai know that there’re no hard feelings even though he’s obviously copping out and leaving the only respectable division in seireitei.
When Kenpachi discovers what the boys plan on buying, he chips in without hesitation, grinning because it isn’t a half-bad idea considering who came up with it.
Ikkaku wants to take umbrage at that, but he wants Kenpachi’s money more, so he doesn’t say anything.
They send Ayasekawa off to buy the thing a few days later, giving the pretty-boy very specific instructions and trusting that his taste will do the rest to make this goodbye gift perfect.
Ayasekawa doesn’t disappoint them when he returns with a fancy wrapped box with a big pink bow on it, all professionally done and perfect. The fifth-chair beams and presents it to Ikkaku, stating that it was the most fun he’s had shopping with someone else’s money since his first boyfriend.
Ikkaku rolls his eyes but supposes that anything Yumichika says only reinforces the fact that there was no one better to have purchased Renji’s gift.
In true eleventh division fashion, there’s a farewell party for Abarai on the eve of his departure, booze flowing and games of cards, mahjong, and dice everywhere while Yachiru buzzes around excitedly.
Before long, Ikkaku clears his throat and taps his bottle to get everyone quiet. When that doesn’t work he pounds on his chest and threatens that the next guy who talks is gonna be beaten up so bad hell be uglier than Maki Maki.
That gets their attention and everyone falls silent while Aramaki sulks in the corner.
“Oi…as all the rest of you chumps know, today’s the day Abarai wimps out…er, leaves us for other things, greener pastures, richer captains.” He grins as Renji rolls his eyes. “But we’re the eleventh, and we don’t need him, ‘cuz we’ll still be the best damned division around even without him, right?”
Grunts of approval and raised glasses confirm Ikkaku’s response.
Renji snorts, but can’t help but grin a little himself because deep down, he agrees too.
“Anyways, to show we ain’t got no hard feelings, Renji, man, we all got ya a present.”
Renji blinks, not having expected this. “Huh?”
“Ya heard me, man. We…that is, the whole division, pooled some money to get you a really damn fitting goodbye present. Somethin’ you can take to the sixth and remember your old, broke pals by.”
“Aw fellas, ya shouldn’t of…”
“Don’t get all sappy on us and take the damn thing already, wouldja Abarai?” Iba urges from the crowd. Everyone echoes his impatience.
“Alright, alright,” Renji concedes, staggering to his feet and accepting the box. “The hell?” he asks, poking at the bow and eyeing his colleague warily. “Pink?”
“Che. It’s fancy stuff, Abarai. Better get used to it, ya know? The taste of the rich? It’s all like that. Now open it, asshole.”
“Fine, fine,” Renji mutters, yanking unceremoniously on the ribbon.
The rest of the division grows quiet in anticipation, and as the redhead lifts to lid, he discovers--
More pink.
“The… hell?”
Ikkaku grins and slaps his friend on the back. “Fuckin’ expensive threads we got for ya there, but you know, we didn’t want ya going to Moneybags’ division without at least one set of nice clothes!” Madarame guffaws gleefully.
“Oi…”
“This is absolutely the finest material of clothing available, and very fashionable,’ Yumichika intercedes then, proceeding to give the article’s pedigree in painstaking detail and finishing with a, “we hope you can put it to good use, Renji.”
From his seat in the back, Kenpachi finally speaks up. “Yeah. Wear it and think of us, when your giant poof of a captain is bein’ all snooty like the poof he is. Che. You never had it so good as ya did here, Abarai.”
Renji doesn’t know whether to be touched or offended, and settles instead, for staring at his gift. “It’s uh. It’s…”
Yachiru materializes on his shoulder then, looking down eagerly into the box. “Waaaaah, it is pretty!” she agrees. “Shouldn’t you say ‘thanks’ now, Pencil-brows?”
Renji sighs. “Um…well… er, thanks everyone. I just uh…don’t think pink is my uh color. It’s…”
Yachiru jumps off of him and lands atop of Ikkaku’s head, frowning down at the redhead. “What’s wrong with pink?” she asks dangerously, crossing her arms and looking at Renji expectantly.
Renji decides that maybe pink isn’t so bad.
“It’s uh, great, fukutaichou. Thanks everyone.”
He leaves the division with his box the next morning, somehow unable to have any hard feelings when he thinks about it, because that’s how the eleventh is, unapologetic but familial anyway. He wonders if he’s going to miss it, but tells himself that he has personal goals he has to take care of now, and this is the best opportunity he’s had in years.
He arrives at the sixth division headquarters promptly at six and receives his orders from Kuchiki Byakuya himself, the man’s eyes unimpressed as he stares down at the redhead.
Renji finds himself clutching at his box and remembering his ex-captain’s words as he salutes Kuchiki-taichou and heads to his new quarters.
From that day on he endures Kuchiki Byakuya’s demands because he has a long-term goal, but Renji finds that at the times when he’s feeling particularly nostalgic, he dons his gift and takes comfort from the fact that the family he left behind in the eleventh is full of great big, stupidly honest assholes, all of whom he hopes will remember him even in his absence.
He remembers them.
END
262.
Title: Just the Way You Are
Rating: PG-15 (bordering R?)
Pairing/Character/s: GinxKira, mentions of AizenxGin
Word Count: 800
Warning/s: Spoilers for the Soul Society Arc
Summary: flashback fic (sort of?)- Gin and Kira celebrate New Years’ together.
Dedication: antiparallel- I hope somehow, this works. *crosses fingers*
A/N: The request was GinxKira with Gin being nice (?) during the holidays. Here goes nothing. *deep breath*
He likes his cute little Kira-chan just the way he is, because he’s sweet and blushes nicely and lets Gin do all manner of dirty little things to him without even the smallest complaint.
And so Ichimaru doesn’t want to take Aizen’s advice on this matter, not really. He doesn’t want to break Izuru down and rebuild him in all the ways Aizen thinks is best, doesn’t want to do the same to his cute little Kira-chan that Aizen did to him, once upon a time.
So when his former captain suggests something, some method to perhaps, further push Izuru irreversibly into his grasp, Gin smiles and thrusts back against Aizen’s hips and asks very nicely, if taichou can’t pay more attention to him right now.
Aizen can probably see right through him, but the older man always just smiles and does as Gin asks, pushing forward and murmuring, “Go your own way then, Gin,” in his former vice-captain’s ear as he does.
And Gin thinks he will, because he likes his cute little Kira-chan just the way he is now, all smiles and stammers and cute blushes, dressed in his New Year’s clothes and looking at Ichimaru from over the brim of his teacup, eyes full of nervous, hopeful anticipation as they eat their fish and rice together, a quiet celebration in the third division captain’s office for just the two of them.
And Ichimaru just doesn’t think he needs all of that fanfare with the young man before him, doesn’t need to make any extra efforts so that he can break Kira down and rebuild him the way he wants. He doesn’t need to try and make it impossible for Izuru to live without him.
It’s something that just comes naturally to his cute little Kira-chan.
And so they sit on the floor eating together while the blonde looks at him with those worshipful eyes, somehow demure, somehow excited, somehow still young and sweet and hopeful even after all the dirty things Izuru has let his captain do to him.
Gin thinks that everything is perfect just as it is.
And so, as they finish their meals and Ichimaru feels one hunger being slowly exchanged for another, he sets his teacup down and resting his head in his palm, looks at Izuru intently from across the low table.
The sudden focus of his captain’s attention nearly makes Kira drop his chopsticks, and as he recovers them, his face flushes deliciously pink. He looks down at the table and the single grain of rice that fell on top of it when he fumbled just now. “Ah…taichou… sorry, I…”
Gin reaches out and plucks the bowl from his subordinate’s hands. “Full?” he asks pleasantly, setting the dishes down.
“Ah…yes sir,” Izuru murmurs quietly, voice hushed and sweet.
It’s so cute that Gin almost wants to toss the whole table aside and get right down to the next part of their celebration.
But it’s a new year starting today and it might be bad luck to cause such a mess, especially after all the cleaning that had to be done in here days before. So Gin merely relaxes back, resting one elbow on his knee as he watches Kira fiddle shyly with the hem of one long sleeve, looking sheepish and excited and ashamed for being both at the same time.
Gin licks his lips and asks very gently, “Na Kira… can you take your clothes off now?”
At the request, Kira turns pink around his cheeks and on the bridge of his nose, at the tips of his ears and-though Ichimaru can’t see it-on the back of his neck.
It’s absolutely lovely, and when Kira turns his eyes downward, shyly murmuring, “Alright,” before he lets the cloth slip teasingly off of one white shoulder, Gin ends up kicking the table aside anyway.
Ichimaru likes his cute little Kira-chan just the way he is. He absolutely loves how Izuru still manages to be sweet and shy like this, blushing nicely even with his legs in the air and his clothes half off of him and ruined now, breathless and sensitive to every touch, every dirty little thing his captain is doing to him.
And so Gin thinks that maybe Aizen-taichou is wrong about this and that he doesn’t need to make the extra effort to break his cute vice-captain apart and rebuild him how he wants, because Kira is perfect just like this, dizzy with bewildered pleasure and softly crying, “taichou, taichou,” into his captain’s ear.
Gin bites down on that pale, perfect throat and knows that he doesn’t need to do anything more than this to make it impossible for his cute little Kira-chan to live without him.
It’s just something that comes naturally to both of them.
END
263.
Title: Deeper Meaning
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/Character/s: ShuuheixYumichika
Word Count: 909
Warning/s: Vague spoilers for the Soul Society Arc? But not really. WAFF lives here too.
Summary: Shuuhei researches Christmas.
Dedication: k_shi- hope you like this and that it fits your request! ^^
A/N: So for this one the request was ShuuxYumi and gift preparation for Christmas time. I went a little farther than just preparation I think, hope no one minds. ^^
Yumi is fascinated by this thing called Christmas in the human world, because it is full of images of beauty and beautiful sentiments. Knowing him, he just can’t resist something he considers almost on par with himself.
So one day, Shuuhei comes home to find his lover humming strange songs and hanging red bows and little green branches of smelly plants around their home, looking happy and radiant as he perfectly lays out every decoration like a purebred happy-homemaker and not the deceptively deadly shinigami he is. When the confused vice-captain asks what all the fanfare is supposed to be for, Yumi smiles and says simply, “something special.”
Shuuhei has to ask Ikkaku about it later to get an elaboration, and grumbling, the bald shinigami begrudgingly explains the strange custom of Christmas that he learned of in the human world when he and Ayasekawa were on assignment, stating that it’s supposed to have some sort of deep meaning or something in some parts of the world, though all he could really think of when he saw the Japanese rendition of it was “money and pretty things.”
Shuuhei thinks it’s odd to have such a dichotomy in interpretation for this one matter when all humans are essentially the same, and intrigued, he decides to further educate himself on the matter.
He spends a few days in the Research and Technology Institute looking things up regarding the matter while Yumichika bakes gingerbread and experimentally roasts chestnuts.
The day of the holiday grows nearer, and as Shuuhei digs into the tomes of human customs and history available to him at the institute, he finds that while he doesn’t quite get the story behind it all-too many contradictions-he thinks he can maybe grasp the deeper meaning Ikkaku was talking about somewhere in all of the jumble.
And the more he finds himself thinking about that, the more he finds himself thinking about Yumichika and what it means to have the other man in his life, especially after the time of great pain and self-doubt he was forced to endure when Tousen left.
Once the research is done he discovers that he has a day left before Yumichika’s efforts culminate and his “something special” is upon them. Shuuhei takes that time to wander Rukongai a little bit, strolling through the markets and trying to find the Christmas atmosphere he read about inside of him though he knows that here in this land of the dead, the day isn’t supposed to hold any sort of special meaning.
He finds it anyway, in the form of a thin gold band with three small, sparkling diamonds embedded in it. He smiles sheepishly at the vendor when he asks about it and the old man chuckles knowingly as he puts it in a box and wishes Shuuhei the best of luck.
When he comes home that evening Yumichika has prepared a large meal that looks like far too much for just the two of them. Shuuhei kisses him and thanks for him for his hard work. They eat together in comfortable silence though occasionally, Ayasekawa absently hums carols he doesn’t know the words to at the table.
They finish and there are way too many leftovers still in front of them, though Yumi simply says he’ll make lunch for them tomorrow with it and take anything left to his teammates in the eleventh. Shuuhei says that it’s a good idea and does the dishes while the other man dries them, and before long they’re sitting on the couch together in front of a fire Yumichika insisted on building. They sip cocoa and don’t say anything in particular to one another.
Shuuhei still doesn’t get what the story behind this whole holiday is maybe, but he thinks he understands a deeper meaning of his own somewhere in the mess. He finds it sitting there next to Yumichika in comfortable silence, his hip against the other man’s all he needs in the world right now.
Maybe Christmas is supposed to be about redemption and hope and a lot of other grandiose things that someone like him can’t begin to truly comprehend, but for Shuuhei, he feels it’s enough to simply dwell on thoughts of family and friendship and showing the someone who you love that you appreciate having him in your life everyday.
They fall asleep on the couch together like that; Yumi curled up and pleasantly warm against Shuuhei’s side. The little box is still in his pocket, and as he rests his chin atop the other shinigami’s, he smiles and hopes for morning to come faster, just so he can tell his deeper meaning thank you for being here with him.
When they wake up, Yumi smiles and kisses him good morning, wishing him a Merry Christmas. He pads happily to the tree he’s decorated with lots of red and silver glass balls and takes a box out from under it, returning to the couch and his warm spot in Shuuhei’s arms before he pushes it towards his lover. “Here.”
Shuuhei thanks him and opens it. It’s a bright orange scarf, and Yumi beams, stating that he knitted it himself and now they can match.
The other man is bemused and touched simultaneously, despite his not really liking orange on a regular basis. He thinks he’ll wear the scarf with pride anyway.
Feeling warm, he reaches into his pocket and says, “I got you something too.”
END
EDITS PLEASE?